


Books and Boys

by LadyKes



Series: POV [5]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-25
Updated: 2014-08-25
Packaged: 2018-02-14 19:57:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,209
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2201097
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyKes/pseuds/LadyKes
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Yes, there's a zillion and one "How did Viktor Ask Hermione To the Yule Ball" fics.  And now there's a zillion and two.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Books and Boys

Hermione Granger liked books. Books were logical, orderly and sensible, and although she didn’t always understand everything in them, she could at least use other books to figure out what she didn’t understand. Books were nice that way.

Completely opposite to books were boys. She’d been dealing with the foibles and inconsistencies of boys since her first year, of course, but suddenly boys made a lot less sense, despite the fact that she’d read several books that purported to explain them. Harry and Ron had become seemingly obsessed with the Yule Ball, which utterly confused her. It was just a dance. Why were they so worried about dates and robes and all that? She hadn’t even planned on attending.

Somewhere inside her, there was a voice that wanted to attend, wanted to dress up and be admired, but it was drowned by her certain knowledge that no one would ask a fashion-challenged know-it-all to a social event like the Ball.

She shook her head to clear her thoughts of the Yule Ball and went back to studying her notes on that day’s lesson in Arithmancy, but was interrupted by the sounds of someone shuffling towards her. Honestly, couldn’t people even _attempt_ to walk quietly in a library? She raised her head to shush the newcomer and noticed that the shuffler was none other than Viktor Krum. His groupies were no doubt only a few paces behind and she sighed frustratedly before gathering up her materials and leaving. She’d get no more studying done tonight, not here at least.

As she was walking and reading (a task made somewhat more difficult by the moving staircases), she became aware that the shuffling sounds were back. Surely he wasn’t following her? And if he was, why was he? She slipped her wand into her hand, just in case, then turned quickly, hoping to startle him and throw him off guard. Unfortunately, the book she’d been holding chose that moment to follow the forces of inertia and went flying towards him. He caught it deftly, if somewhat surprisedly, and wordlessly held it back out to her.

“Er, thanks,” she said awkwardly, taking it back.

“You’re velcome,” he said quietly, and then simply looked at her (with occasional forays into looking at his rather large feet).

“Um, not to be rude, but are you following me?” she asked somewhat diffidently after thirty seconds had passed with no conversation and no movement on either of their parts.

He blushed, then mumbled, “Vantedtotalktoyouvitoutgirls” before staring determinedly at his feet again.

Once she worked out what he had said, what with the mumbling and the accent, she was decidedly confused. Why did he want to talk to her? Did he want help with the Second Task? Did he want to know what Harry had figured out (what little that was, you’d think Harry had forgotten all about his egg)? She certainly wasn’t going to help him with any part of the tournament.

“Oh. Why did you want to talk to me? I can’t tell you anything about the Tasks, you know,” she said, a note of repression in her voice.

“No, no, not about Tournament. Vant to talk to you about Ball,” he said, looking at her hopefully.

Now she was really confused. Why did Viktor Krum want to talk to her about the Ball?

“The Ball? What about the Ball? Haven’t they told you all the details? I’m sure your Headmaster could answer questions better than me,” she said hurriedly and confusedly, mentally adding an “ew” to the thought of Headmaster Karkaroff, who could really use her parents’ assistance with his dental care.

“He cannot answer dis qvestion, Herminee Granger,” he said, now looking at her even more steadily.

She realized he’d pronounced her name wrong, but rather than correcting him she merely looked at him silently, hoping he’d explain this situation since she was now utterly lost and wishing for the comfort and sensibleness of books at this particular moment. Slowly it began to dawn on her as he stared at her. Was Viktor Krum trying to ask her, Hermione Granger, to the Yule Ball? Impossible! When he could have the pick of any girl in school? In three schools, to be more precise? Well, they couldn’t stand there and stare at each other all night, so she might as well ask a few more questions and see if she could figure the puzzle out.

“And, ah, what question would that be, Mr. Krum?” she said quizzically.

“Viktor,” he said quietly.

“Viktor, then.”

“I haff been vatching you. You study and vish to learn things. I study and vish to learn about you. Vill you go vit me to Ball?” he said, looking at her hopefully.

He wished to learn about her? Oh my, this sort of thing hadn’t been covered in any of the books she’d read so far. An attractive, popular male, wishing to know more about her, about Hermione “Know-it-all” Granger? It seemed all but impossible, but here he was, alternating glances with her face and his feet, waiting for an answer.

“Well, yes, I suppose I’ll go. I should warn you that I am not exactly adept in the social graces, though,” she added deprecatingly, making sure he was aware of what he was getting into. She was no Lavender Brown, after all.

“I haff big feet. Hard to dance vit big feet. I tink ve vill be eqval,” he replied, smiling slightly.

She couldn’t help but smile back, but then recollected where they were and what she needed to be doing considering curfew was approaching.  
“I … need to go up to the Common Room. Curfew’s coming and I don’t want to get in trouble. And you should go back to your ship,” she added, hoping she didn’t seem as bossy to him as she sounded to herself.

“Da ... er, yes. But, maybe, ve talk tomorrow?” Again he smiled hopefully at her and she smiled back once more.

“Yes, perhaps we should get better acquainted. Thank you for asking me to the Ball, Viktor. It’s most kind of you.”

“Not kind. Vant to go to Ball vit girl vit brains, not fluff. Talking more interesting if girl’s head not full of fluff.”

Now she was really confused. Not only did he want to go to the ball with her, he wanted to do so _because_ she was a know-it-all, not in spite of that fact. Maybe it had to do with his age ... perhaps more mature men liked intelligent women.

“Well, my hair’s rather fluffy, but I’ve certainly got more than fluff inside my head,” she said with a laugh.

“Yes, and tomorrow, I learn more of vhat is inside head,” he replied before holding his right hand out. Assuming he wanted to shake hands, since they’d only formally met that night, she held hers out as well, but before she could complete the action, he raised her hand to his lips and kissed it lightly before smiling and heading back down the stairs. She stared at the hand he had kissed, smiling to herself, before shaking herself out of her reverie and heading back up the stairs to the Common Room. Perhaps boys were as interesting as books, after all.


End file.
